Basement membrane collagen-degrading activity from a malignant tumor is inhibited by anthracycline antibiotics.

Type IV collagenase activity was previously identified and purified to 7500-fold in homogenates from murine Walker 256 carcinoma, using acetylated [3H]-type IV collagen as a substrate. Anthracycline antibiotics daunorubicin, doxorubicin and epirubicin exhibited a non-competitive, reversible inhibition with Ki 92, 49 and 40 microM, respectively. This inhibitory effect, at therapeutically attainable concentrations of the forementioned antineoplastic drugs, may contribute, at least in part, to their antimetastatic properties. The anthracycline derivatives: 4-demethoxydaunorubicin, 4'-iododoxorubicin and 4-demethoxy-3'-deamino-3'-hydroxyepirubicin were without inhibitory effects at comparable concentrations. Other antineoplastic agents, such as belomycin, carmustine, cisplatine, etoposide, methotrexate, mitotane and teniposide did not exhibit any inhibitory effect at concentrations up to 1.0 mM.